Page 235 of Gathered Sparkle

“Shit!” Koen curses, shifting forward, leaning dangerously far out the door.

Levi scrambles next to him and braces himself against the van while extending his arm toward me too.

My legs scream in protest, but I push harder, forcing one last burst of speed. My feet pound the pavement, and I leap again, every muscle straining as I throw myself forward.

Levi’s fingers clamp around my wrist at the same time Koen’s hand locks onto mine. Their combined strength is enough to haul me off the ground and into the van.

I hit the floor hard, my chest heaving as I gasp for air. The door slams shut behind me with a finality that cuts off the chaos outside, leaving only the hum of the van and the pounding in my ears.

“You good?” Koen pants, his voice rough, his eyes scanning me like he’s looking for injuries I might not even feel yet.

I nod, still too breathless to get the words out, my pulse thrumming against my ribs.

“That was way too close,” Levi mutters. He’s pale, sweat glistening on his forehead.

“Yeah,” I manage after a moment, the adrenaline bleeding into relief that makes my limbs feel heavy. “Thanks for the help.”

Levi gives a small nod, his mouth twitching with the ghost of a grin as he drops onto Ezra’s lap. The sight of it makes something tighten in my chest, a strange, unfamiliar ache I can’t quite place.

Levi just helped Koen save me. After everything, after the tension, after the years of hatred hanging between us, he reached out without hesitation.

Maybe we can be friends after all.

As I try to catch my breath, Novalee drops to her knees beside me, and before I can fully register it, her hands are on my face, and her lips crash into mine, making the split in my lip sting like crazy, but I don’t fucking care. The kiss steals what little air I’ve managed to get back, leaving me dizzy in a completely different way.

She pulls back, her grip shifting to my hair as she tilts my head back, her eyes blazing. “Do you haveanyidea how worried I was about you?” Her voice is sharp, but there’s a quiver in it—fear barely hidden under her frustration.

A chuckle escapes me as I reach out to grab her hips with both hands. “Says the girl who jumped rooftops in a Lamborghini.”

“Don’t worry.” Koen cuts in as he climbs into the front of the van and onto the passenger seat again. “We’ll give her a lecture when we’re on the jet.”

“Sure thing.” Novalee grins at me, leaning in to peck my lips. “Come on. Let’s sit properly.”

She grabs my arm, and we move toward the left, where Alaric is sitting and leaning against the van wall with a cat crate balanced on his lap.

“You guys are crazy,” I mutter to Alaric while his cat glares at me through the bars like I’ve personally offended her.

He just huffs. “Says you.”

Novalee sits on my lap, and instinctively, my arms wrap around her waist. She leans back into me, resting her head against mine.

“Look at that.” Sylus laughs, shaking his head as he rolls down the window. A small gust of wind rushes in, rufflingNovalee’s hair as Pebbles flutters through the opening and straight toward Levi. “Your poop machine is back, Dove.”

Pebbles lands gracefully on Levi’s outstretched arm, her tiny claws curling around his sleeve for balance. Levi lets out a shaky breath before a choked laugh escapes him. “Such a good girl,” he murmurs, his voice thick with emotion as he brings her closer, nuzzling his cheek against her feathers.

“Now that we’re all here…” Sylus fiddles with the dashboard, and a second later, “Everybody” blasts through the speakers.

A collective groan rises, dramatic and full of protest.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Koen mutters.

“Lucifer, take me now.” Ezra pinches the bridge of his nose like he’s genuinely in pain, which earns a snort from Levi.

“Oh, don’t pretend you’re not a closet Backstreet Boys fan, Ez,” Sylus teases. “I’ve heard you humming “I Want It That Way” on the bike.”

Ezra glares, but his reddening ears betray him. “Shut it, lunatic.”

Koen shakes his head, exasperated. “If I have to listen to this all the way to the jet—”

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